1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of performing a search of any number and/or combination of internal, local, remote and global computer networks and data sources. Also, the present invention relates to a computer program product, computer system, user interface, and/or computer readable recording medium for performing the above-mentioned method. The present application claims benefit of priority based on Provisional Application No. 60/333,493 filed on Nov. 28, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At a high level, current access to computer networks is primarily through web browsers like Netscape Communicator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. When a user wants to access a certain web site or data from a remote computer, they must complete several steps: first, opening a browser and assuring that their computer access device is online, then choosing through links, bookmarks or by manually typing a specific web site, a data source or access point, then, assuming they wants to search a particular source for specific information, the individual must type in their desired search criteria and click the “search” button. If the user wants to search several remote computers/sites at once to ensure a more thorough search, the user must open new browser windows, type in the new web site address and then retype in the search criteria and press “search”, or wait and do serial searches, one at a time, through the single open browser. Thus, a problem in the conventional art is that it is inefficient and time consuming for a user to search multiple websites simultaneously.